Wire spring for cushioned seats



Octf24, '1939. I FR D r 2,177,175

' I I WIRE SPRING FOR 'CUSHIONED SEATS I Original Filed Aug. 1, 1936 6 NORRIS raw/v12 retested ot.24',1939 I 2,177,175

I srATEs PATENT OFFICE wins SPRING ron cr snromsn SEATS :Morris Freund, Cleveland, ,0hio,'assignor, by direct and mesne assignments; of one-half to I Jacob Kronheim, Shaker Heights, Ohio, and one-half to John 0. Lincoln, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Application August 1, 1936, Serial No. 93,829

I Benewed Februar-y 7, 1939 l a I .4 c ina; ((1155-1759) a a I I I -'I'his inven1ti oni1'flates todflaft springtss oftsinu yieltding means-fco-gperating with the ipous or;s1m'ar"s ape use or' sea uppor ing means or he rearend of he sea ng "holstered furniture, cushioned automobile seats surface of thespring structure in yieldingly reor the like',f-and more particularly to -that'type sisting forward and downward movement of the l of sprnggs demgribegiglmy co-pintliinglgaagplicaiseating surface of the spring structure under uons r; ;No.- 6,1 ed Augus I now oad. I Patent-Nd) 2,047;411,' and Ser. No.68,417, filed A further'object ofthe invention is the provi- Marclh' 12,- 1936. -bTlhe'se sprintgs eitfibody tan upper stion atspriizlilg' strfuzglure; embolyingdai plnjralaxiaycompressi e an ex nsi e sea mg por- 1y 0 a spr gs o eype re erre o a ove lltio'n, preferably madeof sinuous-shaped wire, a with means for preventing longitudinal stretchl0 yielding rearwardly and'downwardly extending ing' of the seating portions of the assembled supporting means of' substantial length arranged springs forming the spring structure, and with I at the front end pf the seating portion, and a means yieldingly coupling said first means to the downwardly'extending supporting means at the frame of the springstructure to more effectively I, rear'end of the; seating portion; The sirpportand yieldingly resist forward and downward I I mgmeans for the'seating portion of' he e spring movement of the' seating surface of the spring are integrally formed with the seating portion structure, when under load.

or rigidlyconne'cted to the-'ends'thereohso as Still another object of the invention is the to effect upwardly directed bulging and bending provision of a spring structure embodying a pluso stresses and therewith increased resistance of rality of springs of the type referred to'above the seating portio'n against downward bulging, mounted side by side upon a frame with means when' aload 1's Pla liD the Seating portion. pivotally secured to'the front'and rear ends of h f wer ying d y sr i t dmg 1 the seating portions of all said springs, and with I per ng'means a e ron en *0 e sea ng means for 'yieldingly'securing said'first means I I DOT t PE SO f e t a st sfia t fll fo ward'shifting to the rear rail of the frame of said structure. :5

Qof the'frontend of the seating portion, and a I I A still further object of the invention is the slighter forward shifting of the rear end of the provision of a spring structure embodying a pluseating portion ofthe sprmg'when loaded, which rality of flatsprings of the type referred to above shifting results' in' longitudinal stretching and mounted side by side upon a frame, each of said M stitfe'm'ng of, the seating portion. I prings embodying a horizontally corrugated 80 Springs of "thedescribed type, assembled toa seating portion and frontjand rear supporting spring structure in the manner .disclosedin the means forsaid seating portion rigidly connected applications referred to above, offer sufficientrethereto, the front supporting means for said sistance against downward bulging of the seatseating portion extending rearwardly and downing surface of the assembled structure. How-j 'wardly and including portions offset with respect to ever, this structure is easily shif ed fqrwar wind to each other, so as to decrease the zone of condownwardly, particularly by heavier'loads' and tact between the'seating portionand' the front 1 wheli t e D DB F G m dE Oi r la ively supporting means, when the seating portion of a: spiiinigs "31rd. I w t] r t'mI II the spring is forced into contact with the front a I e pr ar 0 c 0 n & 0 supportingmeans., I

ly v fli l defi c spring 7 t tu es In additionthe invention has certain other :em i m a mummy Meet n i h i marked s'uperiorities which radically distinguish strate istsassass ns; s; from known I 'the springs to the frame of thestructur, which ,i p or superior charactensmcs embody means more effectively andyi e1 dingly resist ing ,certam novel features of construction are 'Ward and bending movements of the supportin clearly, e t F er slzeclfigation means for'the re'arends of the springs and thus the appende, c f i a w are increase'theresistance of the spring" structure qd i of the i i l 60 against forwardanddownward movement of its reference to the fa'ccolInpanymg drawmg seating surface without materially decreasing n P v pe fica :tlieyielding of saidfseating surface." In this d aw n 1 Another'object, of the invention is the provi- Figure 1 is a fragmentary transversal sectioni sion of an assembled spring structure embodyal view through a chair embodying a spring strucll ing fiatsprings'ofthe type referred to above with ture with flat springs according to the inven- 'tion, the sectionbeing taken" on Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a crosssectional view through thev view through the front-rail of the chair showinl of sinuous-shaped steel 'ofFigure2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawnumeral 2 representsthe frame -so as to' form seating arm is-bent and I later to be described, and coiled orlooped at its arranged in a plane substantially rectangular I to the plane of the 7 {curve downwardly and I I circular shape. The endof the wire of the rear the attachment of the flat springs to rail, the section being ure 2, and i U Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the rear rail of chairming the attachment of the flatsprings togthe rear rail, the section being taken on'line H the front ing, reference I of a chair embodying at its bottom portion a rectangular open frame 3, the front, rear and side rails 4, 5 and 6 of which are secured to the front and rear legs I. and} of the frame 2 of the chair. The open frame 3 supports on its front andrea'r rails 4 and 5 a plurality of flat springs 8', made I wire, the, loops 8" I of which-extend substantially parallel to each other, portions 9. Each spring embodies a front supporting portion l0 and a rear supporting portion ii, and these portions support the portion 9 of the spring andsecure the spring to the front and rear rails '4 and 5 of the frame 3. The front supporting portion i0 consists of a rearwardly and downwardly extending lever arm l2, integrally extended from the front end of the spring seating portion 9, which lever offset as at ll for a purpose free end to providev a coil- 15,

curvedseatingportions. r I

Whenthe spring is mounted on the open frame 3 the free and ii of 'the coil; II is extended forwardly of said coil offset extension "on said end it being sleeved into a recess l8 formed between the front rail.

'4 andthe' channel IQ of a metal'strip .2ll,jwhich strip is secured to said rail by means of nails 2|.

II for the seating The rear' supporting means I II integrally formed portion sof the springis also with the seating portion '8 then forwardlyto a semisupporting means is angularlyoffset to extend towards the rear, so as. to form a connecting extension 22, the outer end 22 of which is bent downwardly to permit of said end being'sleeved into recess 24, formed between the rear rail 5 and the channel 25 of a metal strip, 26, which strip isfsecured to said rail by meansof nails I I It should rear supporting means be noted that the spring cr'th'e is bent to sinuous shape so as 'tofembody a substantial length of wire.

Consequently the bending resistance of the supporting means is low in spite 'of the short bend in said supporting portion. Thisarrangement' simplifies manufacturing of the spring, assures sufficient play and pivot action in'the rear supporting means without danger-of breakage and is particularly important for spring structures having springs of the type described-so interlocked with each other that forward and downward movement of the seating surface cannot effect stretching of the seating portions of the springs. In spring structures of the type I i I 2,171,113 line l-' l taken on line 3-4 of Figloads. This deficiency secured to they front and pivotally secured by tensioned bulged upwardly by 1 connection between the -edge wire- ,toper'mit of an angularly- I and extends 'on a a plurality of. flat springs mounted in elevated lust described the forward and downward movement a of the seating surface. is entirely controlled by the rear supporting means of the springs which means must of course be constructed accordingly.

The low bending resistance of the supporting means II for the rear end of the seating portion '0 of the spring effects little resistance of these supporting means against forwardmovement of the seating portion of the spring and'consequent- 1y makes the spring structure unflt for heavier I is overcome by the arrangementofone or more coiled tension springs 28, which springs pivotally engage the spring structure near the rear end of its seating surface and which :are -anchored or pivotally at- .tached'to the rear'rail 5, staples for this'purpose. v

I of the assembled'spring struc-, {ture are so interlocked'that the seating surface of the structure cannot 2! being used The springs I be stretched. This is effected by means of an edgewire II, pivotally and rear ends of t'he seating portions ofthe springs by. means of clamps 3| to the outer loops ,flof the s'eating portions '9 of the two outer springs by means of clamps 32. The seating portions of all the springs are yieldingly coupled with each other coiled springs 34, preferably arranged symmetrically with respect to the seats ingsurface of the spring structure. I V

The seating portions and the sides of .the edge wire 30 are slightly curved, so that under load these portions and the edge wire iii are forcibly the supporting means I and H, as these means exert upwardly directed bulging stresses on the seating portions, stresses, which are proportionate to the load. The pivotal 30 and the springs permit of the stresses being readily transferred to the supporting portions. I

The bends or offsets It in thegleverarni 12 at the front end of each seating portion 9 prohibit I contact of {the coils IS with the seating portion ,9, providedcoils I! are arranged above the. upper l2 with th'e lower face of the seating portions f! to the short. leverportion 35, so that a metal to metal contact between the supporting means and the seatingportion of a spring practically avoided. I f I a 1 Having thus described my'invention, what I .claimisr' v 1. ,A spring structure for upholstered furniture comprising a frame havingv front and rear rails,

positionside by side upon the front. and rear rails of said frame, each of said springsembodying a horizontally corrugated seatingportiom a rearwardly and downwardly extended front supporting portion and a curved rear supporting. porwardly and down .tionfincludin'g an upper rear wardly extended portion shorter in length than said front supportingportion, meansfor. directly connecting the ends of said front a'ndrear supporting portions to the front and rearrails of said frame, and resilient means attached to the rear rail, of said frame and to the upper portions ;of said rear supporting portionsfor yieldingly counteracting axial forwardimovementx of said spring structure underload; i

2. A spring structure for upholstered furniture as described in claim 1, whereina wireframe is attached to theifront ends of said seatingportions and to the upper portions of said rear supporting portions, and wherein theresilient means 75 are connected to the rear edge of said wire frame. 3. A spring structure for upholstered furniture as described in claim 1, wherein a wire frame a spring is rigidly attached to the front ends of said springs and to the upper portions of their rear supportingportions, and wherein said resilient means connect the rear edge of said wire frame at symmetrical points with the rear rail of said frame.

4. A spring structure for upholstered furniture comprising a frame having front and rear rails,

a plurality of flat springs mounted side by side upon the front and rear rails of said frame, each of said springs embodying a horimntaily corrugated seating wardly extended front supporting portion for shorter in length than said front supporting portion, means at the ends of said front and rear supporting portions for connecting same to the front and rear rails of said frame, and resilient means connected to the rear rail of said frame and to the ends of the upper portions of said rear supportingportions of said springs for yieldingly counteracting axial and downward movements of said springs under load.

MORRIS FREUND. 

